Process and apparatus for metal-plating



R. J. PIERSOL. PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR METAL PLATING. A

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1920.

Patented June 15,1920.

W/ ME 88158 A INVENTOR fazzzereffwa Arm/Mrs ROBERT PIERSOL, 0]? BENTLEYVILLE,'PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR METAL-PLATING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Application filed January 3, 1920. Serial No. 349,172.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT J. Pmnson, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Bentleyville, county ofWashington, and

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Process andApparatusfor Metal-Plating, of which the followingis a full, clear, andexact description.

This invention relates to means for plat-..

ing one material with another and has referonce more particularly to ameans for plat? mg m cacao at a temperature between the melting point ofthe two materials, the material of the higher melting point with thematerial of the lower melting point.

The object of this invention is to provide a meansfor plating one metalwith another metal which will be inexpensive and easy to apply.

Many materials, such as iron and copper, cannot be plated successfullythe one with the other, by ordinary means, because an inhibitory gaseousfilm between the two metals interferes with adhesion. Experiment hasshown that when plating takes place in a vacuum, the higher temperaturebreaks down the gaseous film which is removed by the vacuum. For,instance, iron can be plated successfully with melted copper in oac'uo.But unless the gaseous film had been removed by the vacuum the adhesionwould have been imperfect. This is probably due to the fact that themetal has greater adhesion for the gaseous film than it does for theother metal. Since this is true, necessarily the film must be removedbefore the influence of the adhesive attraction of the two metals cancome into play. Experiment has shown that when the gaseous films areremoved, two different materials, other than iron and copper, may beplated with each other in the same way. Therefore this process coversany two materials for which adhesion is desired.

.1 have knowledge that processes have been used in which a solidmaterial is covered by a material which has been volatilized in cacao.aseous state instead of a liquid state. Therefore there is no relationbetween the two processes. The previous processes have had to do withcoating a material in a solid state by a material in a gaseous state.W'hile my process has to do with coating But a volatilized material isin a.

a material in a solid state by a material in a liquid state.

Such a process is of commercial importance. For instance a piece ofstatuary of an inexpensive base, either metal or non-metal, could becoated with copper with a slight expense. But the copper plated statuewould have all the durability and beaut of a solid copper statue. Alsometals, such as steel, which may be corroded by weather ing, could becopper plated, thereby increas in their life many fold.

Tteference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming apart ofthis specification in which it is understood that the draw ingillustrates only one form of apparatus which could be used in carryingout my process, and in which i-gure 1 is a central sectional viewthrough the apparatus.

ig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 10 indicates a vacuumjar which may be placed in an oven at a temperature between the meltingpoints of iron and copper. 11 is an exhaust pipe which is attached toany suitable vacuum pump not shown. A crucible 12 is placed in saidvacuum jar and contains melted copper 13. A block of iron 14 issuspended on a wire 15 above said crucible, said wire being wound aroundand secured to a pulley 16 fixed to a shaft 17. The shaft 17 isrotatably supported by bearings 18 and 19 constructed in any suitablemanner in the walls of the vacuum jar 10. A chamber 20 preferablycylindrical in shape is interposed between the bearing 18 and the vacuumjar 10, and a soft iron core 21 is fixed to the shaft 17 and positionedin said chamber 20. The iron core 21 has a plurality of radiating armseach of which is attracted magnetically by object to be plated can beattached to the wire 1:".

, I would state in conclusion that the invention has to do primarilywith a process and the drawing shows only one of numerous ways by whichthe mechanical part of the process may be :arried on, so that the fieldcovering the process should not be limited by any one type of apparatus.Also the proc ess should cover any two different metals whatsoever andshould not be limited to the two already mentioned in illustration.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent: 7

l. A process for the plating of one metal liy another metal whichconsists in treating one of saidm'etals with the other of said metals incacao at a temperature between the melting points of the two metals.

2. A. process for the plating of one metal with another metal whichconsists in enveloping the metal with the higher melting point by thefused bath of the metal with the lower melting point, said metals beingheated 'i-i'z oucuo to a temperature between their melting points.

3. An apparatus for the plating of one material with another materialwhich con- 30 sists m a vacuum yar, a container placed in said jaradapted to contain a fused material, and means for lowering a secondmaterial into the first mentioned fused material.

4. An apparatus for the plating of one material with another materialwhich consists in a vacuum jar, a container placed in said jar adaptedto contain a fused material,

a solid material, a shaft rotatably mounted inside said vacuum ar, aflexible means connecting said solid material and said shaft adapted towind upon said shaft as said shaft is rotated, and means for rotatingsaid shaft.

An apparatus for the plating of one material with another material whichconsists in a vacuum jar, a container placed in said jar adapted tocontain a fused material, a solid material, a shaft rotatably mountedinside said vacuum jar, a flexible means connecting said solid materialand said shaft adapted to wind upon said shaft as said shaft is rotated,a plurality of radiating soft iron arms fixed to said shaft, a pluralityof electromagnets rotatably mounted outside said vacuum jar adapted toi'nagnetically en gage the soft iron arms inside said vacuum jar androtate said arms and said shaft when said electro magnet is rotated, andmeans for electrically eficiting said electromagents.

OBERT J. PIERSOL.

